Airlines differ on child discount offers

In the past, we saw many special airfares for children, but now we rarely see them for travel in the U.S. They’re more common on international flights, where the discounts are typically available for children ages 2 to 11, and when buying seats for kids younger than 24 months. Infants on laps pay 10 percent of the adult fare.

There are no hard rules on children’s fares. The number of kids you can bring per paying adult varies and on occasion extends to unaccompanied minors. We found some carriers offered kids’ discounts in some fare classes but not others.

The discount can vary by itinerary and airline. When we looked at fares from Dallas, we found discounts of 25 percent to Auckland, New Zealand, on most carriers, discounts of 20 to 25 percent on a few carriers to London and no discounts to Tokyo. Legacy carriers appear to be offering them in markets where competition is heavy.

Don’t overlook codeshare flights. If you wanted to fly from Dallas to Cancun on Jan. 22, for example, you could book five different flights through Mexicana, but not one of them is operated by the airline. You’d actually by flying on American Airlines.

When recently pricing fares on this route, we found that American was offering a child’s discount of 20 percent, while Mexicana offered 33 percent off these same flights. You’d be flying nonstop on American and earning AAdvantage miles, but you’d save an additional 13 percent by booking Mexicana.

Another option on kids’ fares is to check with consolidators and discounters. These companies negotiate nonpublished airfares and often offer kids’ discounts of 25, 33 or 50 percent off published fares.

If you’re traveling with a child younger than 24 months, the child can ride free on your lap within the U.S. and Canada. On longer flights, consider buying a seat and bringing an FAA-approved car seat. You can hope for an empty seat next to you, but planes are crowded these days.

In many cases, you can buy infant fares for 50 percent off the adult fare, even on sale fares. Some carriers don’t offer these fares on their lowest prices in a market; be sure to shop around.

If you’re traveling with children, each time you book, recheck who is offering discounts. Find out what carriers are flying on your desired route and who codeshares with them. Consider buying these fares through a travel agent or by contacting the airlines by phone. Internet booking is inconsistent.